News Georgia Dad Arrested After He and Toddler Are Found Drunk

A Georgia father is in jail after police say both he and his toddler were found drunk on Saturday.

Authorities were called to the Gainesville house, where they allegedly found Marcus Daniel Allen, 20, passed out — and his three-year-old son acting intoxicated and smelling of alcohol, according to NBC affiliate WXIA in Atlanta.

Police say the father had gotten drunk off a fruity mixed cocktail, which he was drinking from a bottle with a straw. When he blacked out, the toddler started drinking from the straw, they added.

The two were taken to the hospital, where it was discovered the child had a blood alcohol content nearly two times the legal driving limit for an adult.

"I think it could have been a lot worse had they not come home when they did," Gainesville Police Deputy Chief Jay Parrish told the station. "Had the child ingested more alcohol, it could have been fatal."

Authorities arrested Allen and charged him with a felony count of cruelty to children along with counts of reckless conduct and obstruction. Because he is under 21, he was also charged with underage consumption of alcohol.

The toddler is recovering and has been placed in his mother's care by the Georgia Division of Family and Child Services, police told WXIA.